Global Ideologing

Re Op-Ed Columnist: It's Too Late for Later by Thomas L. Friedman in today's NY Times:

Once again, Tom strikes out. Tom was a big advocate of invading Iraq. Tom is a big advocate of globalization. Tom's new big issue is "global warming". Why quotes? Because Tom uses newspeak instead of saying "global warming created by mankind". That, after all, is what the "global warming" cultists mean when they speak of "global warming".

Remember: no one even knows if we are in a warming phase, since geological time is so long compared to the duration of fads, or the lives of humans. And, if the earth is in a warming phase, we do not know why.

One of the ironies in Tom's stupid column is that Tom is now blaming globalization for global warming. Tom has no shame! "Indeed, today’s global economy has become like a monster truck with the gas pedal stuck, and we’ve lost the key — so no one can stop it from wiping out more and more of the natural world, no matter what the global plan."

Now, if Tom really cares about preserving forests and biodiversity (forget about his blather about global warming), then he should advocate a new world policeman (not the U.S., thank you) to give Jakarta an ultimatum: stop deforestation, or we (the World Police) will bomb you.

Islam and Religion

Re Op-Ed Contributor: Islam's Silent Moderates by Ayaan Hirsi Ali in today's NY Times:

All religions are stupid. Catholicism showed its barbarism during the years of the Inquisition. Islam is merely the craziest "religion". It has never been moderate, and never will be, since the Koran cannot be modified, and it was written with the blood of nonbelievers. Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali should know better. While I admire her enormous courage, she should know that it is impossible to be both a true Muslim and moderate. Islam, and all religions, were fictions created by fools who could not comprehend even the most elementary facts about our universe, so they invented religion. The problem with Islam is that, along with the fictional Allah, Muslims created an enormously detailed framework which justifies barbarism.

Philly Shoots Itself In Foot

Re Boy Scouts Lose Philadelphia Lease in Gay-Rights Fight by Ian Urbina in today's NY Times:

So, on June 1, 2008, the city of Brotherly Love will evict the Boy Scouts from "the birthplace of the Boy Scouts" where they have resided since 1928, because of the Boy Scouts' stated opposition to accepting as members boys who are openly homosexual. So, basically Philadelphia would prefer that its heterosexual boys join street gangs which breed murderers and drug dealers, rather than join the Boy Scouts.

Iranian National Intelligence Estimate of America

Re Op-Ed Columnist: Intercepting Iran's Take on America by Thomas L. Friedman in today's NY Times:

Mr. Friedman wrote a faux report from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, which he described as the "Iranian National Intelligence Estimate of America". In it he explains why the Iranians have nothing to worry about, since America is basically not following Tom's latest prescriptions. He singles out a few culprits whom he disagrees with, such as Lou Dobbs and Giuliani, but he fails to mention his advocacy of the Iraq invasion, and his many columns calling for nation-building in the Middle East and Afghanistan. (He also fails to mention the financial costs of those blunders: about $2 trillion.)

But I will agree with him on the stupidity of our ethanol subsidies. Ethanol is a waste of money, since it takes so much oil just to produce and distribute it, and to modify automobile engines to run on it.

I also agree that we need a Manhattan Project "to achieve energy independence". But this is where Tom wimps out. (I suspect he has an early record of opposing nuclear power.) He does not specifically call for R&D on nuclear fusion technology to produce electricity, nor does he call for more nuclear fission power plants.

How To Strengthen Our Economy

Re News Analysis: Wall St. Sees Silver Lining in Economy by Peter S. Goodman:

The actions of the Federal Reserve, namely, lowering short-term interest rates, are like putting a Band Aid on a deep wound.

The dollar has been falling steadily since the Bush invasion of Iraq. This war has cost us, directly and indirectly, between one and two trillion dollars. Since we are in debt, all of this cost must be borrowed, mostly from our adversaries (China and Arab Muslim nations). Lowering short-term interest rates puts downward pressure on the dollar, making our currency even weaker. Eventually, foreign owners of American securities will get tired of losing money, and cut their losses by selling our securities, causing our markets to crash.

It would be better to make fundamental changes to strengthen our economy. We need higher taxes to stop borrowing money from our adversaries. We need higher interest rates to encourage saving by ordinary Americans. We need to end the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and bring home our troops. (There are better ways to fight the War on Terror.) We need to expand the production of nuclear (fission) power, in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We need to spend $billions on nuclear fusion R&D.

The higher taxes should come from a more progressive income tax, and from tariffs. The latter means we need to exit from the WTO.

An idiot with a smart plan beats a genius with no plan. Right now, we have no smart plan to strengthen our economy. The plan I propose is tough medicine, but we live in a cruel world. We have no time to waste.

Crazy Energy Bill

Re Lawmakers Set Deal on Raising Fuel Efficiency by John M. Broder and Micheline Maynard:

The article says that House leaders reached a deal on proposed energy legislation. I am all in favor of the automobile mileage requirements (35 mpg). However, I think the proposal that most electric utilities produce 15 percent of their power from renewable sources, like wind and solar, by 2020, would be insane.

I have long argued that we need to produce most of our electric power from nuclear reactors. That would be the most efficient way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and therefore weaken our enemies in the war on terror, because the more electricity we produce, the lower the price of electricity, and that would incentivize production of electric vehicles.

I have also long advocated R&D to develop viable nuclear fusion power. The advances made in the Bussard fusion reactor show the promise of that technology. Surely we can take a few billion dollars out of the trillions we are wasting in stupid Middle East wars and spend that money on fusion R&D.

Forcing utilities to spend billions on wind and solar is crazy. These technologies are proven failures. They will never yield the massive and growing energy needs of our nation. Requiring utilities to produce 15 percent of electricity from wind and solar would be the biggest gift to Osama bin Laden since the insane invasion of Iraq.

Teddy Bear Named Muhammad

Re British Teacher Charged in Sudan by Jeffrey Gettleman in today's NY Times:

Quote from the article:

"The Sudanese government decided on Wednesday to charge a British primary school teacher with blasphemy, inciting hatred and insulting Islam after she allowed her 7-year-old students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad.

"If found guilty, the teacher, Gillian Gibbons, who taught at one of Sudan’s most exclusive private schools, could be sentenced to 6 months in jail and 40 lashes.

"“She will be brought in front of a judge and now she must prove her innocence,” said Rabie A. Atti, a Sudanese government spokesman."

Of course, this is a great example of how barbaric and backward Islamic countries are.

It also makes me wonder why westerners waste their time trying to teach such stupid people. I would prefer it if we minded our own business, and let Muslims stay in the Middle Ages, and stay stupid.